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The Aloft hotel in Tulum recently opened its doors in early 2021 and we can already tell it’s going to be one of the top properties in the Riviera Maya. The Cancun Sun recently stayed at Marriott’s Aloft so we could give you the full scoop on prices, what it’s like to stay there, and most importantly, the honest pros and cons.
PROS
Price
Right off the bat, we can tell you we were pleasantly surprised with how many perks there are at this property, especially for the price. We had just stayed at beachfront Tulum hotel a few days prior that was over $800 USD per night, and in some cases the Aloft performed better than that hotel but was 80% cheaper!
Budget travelers should absolutely bookmark the Aloft hotel for their next visit to Tulum.
Location
While it’s not on the coveted beach road, the Aloft is still perfectly located in Tulum. From the hotel, you can walk to Aldea Zama, the new master-planned area of the city, for boujie restaurants, cafes, and coworking spaces. The beach is also reachable in a few minutes by bike or a 5-minute taxi ride. You’re close enough to everything you need in both directions, which makes it a wonderful central location.
View
From the gorgeous rooftop pool and bar Atico, guests get an endless view into the thick green jungle surrounding the property, and even a view of Tulum’s famous Mayan ruins. There is a free tower viewer to get a closer look at the sights.
Rooftop Cabanas
The rooftop poolside Cabanas are epic! They’re oversized, private, and offer the best seat in the house to relax and unwind. The Atico restaurant is located beside the cabanas, so waiters will come to serve drinks and food as you lounge.
Vibe
The vibe at this hotel was much livelier than I had first expected it to be. The music they play upstairs on the roof during the day is great, but I especially liked it after 5:00 pm when they cranked up the volume and tempo a bit. It gave a bit of beach clubs vibes, which made us want to hang around all day and night.
Two Pools To Choose From
The Aloft has two swimming pools, one on the ground floor that is family-friendly, and one on the rooftop that is adults only. Being a child-less traveler, I really appreciated that I could seek refuge upstairs from screaming, splashing kids, but nice to know families could still have options staying there.
Mid Century Modern Rooms
The rooms are very modern, minimalist, but have some ultra-trendy mid-century modern elements that make them cozy and cool. The retro Marshall Bluetooth speaker was a really nice touch. We stayed in a base-level room which had a king-size bed, a view of the garden at the hotel, and had every modern day amenity you’d expect from a major brand hotel.
Vegetarian Options on the Menu
With more and more people choosing a plant-based lifestyle, sometimes the bigger chains and brands don’t catch on as quickly, so it was nice to see that Aloft, which is owned by Marriott, has pivoted to add veggie options to the menus.
They had items like veggie burger sliders, meat-free pizzas, beetroot ravioli, and portobello confit, and plant-based milk options.
All-Inclusive Packages Are Available
While I personally think Tulum is a place where you’ll want to eat out almost every night, the Aloft does offer an All-Inclusive package with any stay. You can use the package for all meals, snacks, and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. In all honesty, the menus here aren’t huge, so if you were staying a week you would be doubling up on meals, but there is still great value in the A.I. option.
If you choose the normal a la carte plan, it’s nice to know the prices are about 30% cheaper than what you will find on beach road.
They do make some mean cocktails on the rooftop, I suggest the carajillo and a mezcalita de piña.
Non- Saltwater showers
Okay, this ‘pro’ might not even be positive for everyone, but it sure was for me. After staying a hotel for a week on the beach road that only has saltwater showers, my hair was toast. It was dried out and tangled beyond all belief and no amount of conditioner could tame it. When I checked into the Aloft I showered right away and found their shower water is filtered and not salty, and ta-da, my hair was back to its manageable self.
While some visitors might love the eco-friendly vibes of showering in saltwater, I personally dislike the sticky feeling and was over the moon to have a regular shower at Aloft.
Power Was Consistent
Another perk that only those who’ve stayed in Tulum before will understand, is having consistent power. Many Tulum hotels, even the 5-star ones that charge over $1000 a night will very frequently lose power, especially in the middle of the night. This means the A/C and/or fan stop working and you wake up in a pile of sweat.
The Aloft either has its power figured out or they have a system of seamless generators because we never lost power once. It was nice to sleep throughout the night without waking up from over-heating.
Aloft Has an Impressive Gym
I haven’t looked at every single hotel gym in Tulum, but from my experience as a travel writer with more than 2000 hotel nights under my belt, I’d bet there isn’t a better gym in the area than at Aloft.
It’s completely stocked with multiple treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, free weights, benches, machines, and workout areas. It’s nicely air-conditioned and has great views out onto the property.
If you are the type of traveler who likes to keep it tight while on vacation, Aloft should be high on your list of places to stay.
Lots of Photo Ops
Getting incredible vacation photos is a must, and I was a bit concerned at first that a major chain hotel that’s not located at the beach would be a bit of a downer for photos, but was pleasantly surprised my assumption was completely wrong.
The property has tons of great photo ops perfect for the ‘gram
Steamer in the Rooms
I’m a big fan of a steamer in the rooms and was delighted to see one as a standard amenity at Aloft. I hate ironing and just wanted some wrinkles out of all the stuff I jam-packed into my carry-on bag, so having one in the room was a lifesaver.
Lots of plugs everywhere
Not only did my actual room at Aloft have plenty of plug-ins, but the hotel in general thought about this in the way they designed all the public spaces. The bar counters, sofas, tables, and many spots you’d be hanging out throughout the property have USB and power outlets, perfect for any digital nomad on the go.
CONS
Yes, no stay is perfect, and I want to take a moment to talk about the few cons I personally experienced.
No Bikes
When we realized that Aldea Zama was a super quick bike ride away, and the beach not being much further, we immediately went downstairs to sign out a bicycle so we could go explore. However, the front desk told us they don’t have bikes onsite, which was a major downer. There is a bike rental shop down the street that is not affiliated with the hotel, but they want a deposit, ID, and of course, there is a charge per 24 hours of the rental. We did not want to play that game, so decided to walk to Aldea Zama instead.
I really hope the Aloft gets bikes for guests, as it will elevate this hotel to almost perfect status.
No Closet, Annoying Hangers
This might be nit-picky, but I can’t stand a design so minimal that it’s not functional. The closet is non-existent in the sense that it’s just a hanging bar with no walls or cupboard surrounding it, making you hang your clothes out in the open beside the front door. Another issue was it’s not full length, so dresses or anything longer than a shirt will have to wrinkle and fold to be hung up. Lastly, it only had 4 wire hangers that are so loud and noisy every time you move them. I really wish the room had a place to hang full-length attire and with hangers that don’t make so much racket everything you breathe near them.
In Summary
Aloft Tulum is overflowing with value. It feels like a much more expensive stay due to all the perks and amenities on-site, which is a major win for budget travelers heading to the area, or really anyone who just likes good value. I always ask myself at the end of a stay, “Would I return? Would I come back and choose to stay here again?”, and the answer for Aloft Tulum is, “absolutely!”
Post Disclaimer: We stayed at the Aloft Tulum as a guest of hotel for the purpose of having the experience to write a review for our readers, however the opinions and feelings outlined above are our own.
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